Reports of a spill of coal ash waste at the Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Alabama again confirm the dangers of burning dirty coal to make electricity. Even when toxic byproducts like mercury and arsenic are removed before they are released from the smokestack, these poisons must still be disposed of. Several spills in the last three weeks demonstrate that when stored in the customary ponds at a plant site, coal ash and other residues threaten nearby residents and waterways.The spill in Alabama is also noteworthy because the pond that is reported to be leaking contains material slated for sale as recycled construction material. Entergy recently claimed that coal waste should pose no obstacle to the conversion of its Little Gypsy generating plant to burn coal and pet coke because it asserts that it will recycle the waste as it claims to at its Westlake facility. (Note: we have been unable to confirm sales of waste material in quantities greater than 36 lbs. from that facility.)According to John Atkeison, Climate and Clean Energy Director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, “Making electricity from coal contributes nothing special except a grave and growing threat to the climate and poisons in the air and water.””Our creeks, bayous and rivers and all who rely on clean water are threatened by dirty coal plants. It’s time we got serious about clean energy solutions,” said Aaron Viles, Campaign Director with Gulf Restoration Network, a member of Louisiana’s Say Yes to Clean Energy coalition, which is challenging the spread of coal-fired power plants across the state.According to media reports, after the TVA coal-ash spill the Alabama Department of Environmental Management inspected all the coal ash retention ponds and announced they were safe.”This clearly demonstrates need for better regulation of coal waste and the coal plants themselves,” says Jordan Macha, Conservation Organizer for the Sierra Club. “The EPA must improve regulations to better protect our communities and the environment.””Coal is dirty, destructive and unsustainable,” said Maylee Orr, Executive Director of Louisiana Environmental Action Network. We must phase out the use of coal while increasing the use of sustainable energy sources. Our natural resoucres, our health and our economic future depends on the choices we make today. Say yes to clean energy and no to dirty coal.”The Associated Press reported this morning that, “Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated. An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.”Recent coal waste spills include the infamous billion gallon disaster in Kingston, TN, which has been economically wrecked as well as environmentally assaulted. The TVA has also admitted to poor maintenance and releases into the Ocoee River in East Tennessee.”Clean coal is a lie that was made up by a marketing department,” said Paul Orr, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper. “The removal of coal is destroying whole mountain ecosystems in Appalachia. The burning of coal releases carbon, carbon that was neatly sequestered into the earth over millennia, into the atmosphere in huge quantities in the face of mounting global climate change problems. And now we are realizing how dangerous and destructive the leftover coal ash is.”Clean, renewable solutions exist to our energy needs. These tragic incidents underscore the need to both prioritize energy efficiency and require that utility companies purchase a certain portion of their energy from renewable sources, instead of relying on the dirty, 19th century technology of burning coal.###Brought to you by SAY YES TO CLEAN ENERGY COALITIONwww.SayYesToCleanEnergy.org
